Chapter 1965: Chaotic Souls (Part 1)

Upon hearing Yun Che's reaction, Chi Wuyao felt more relieved than surprised. "I've been wondering about that too. In your condition at the time, it was impossible for you to have that much spare energy. Even if you did, you should have used it on yourself first."

Yun Che understood what Chi Wuyao meant by "that much spare energy." To save the Azure Dragon Emperor from the brink of death was something no ordinary burst of profound light energy could achieve.

And she woke up even earlier than he did...

"But aside from Shen Xi, you are the only one in this world who can use profound light energy," Chi Wuyao said. "I specifically asked the Azure Dragon Emperor, and that profound light energy was definitely not something deeply embedded in her body before that day. The Azure Dragon lineage has never possessed protective profound artifacts imprinted with profound light energy either."

"If it wasn't you... then that's truly strange."

Her slender brows furrowed as Chi Wuyao seemed to fall into thought.

Indeed, in this world, only he and Shen Xi could wield profound light energy.

It definitely wasn't him, and Shen Xi had long since...

Even if Shen Xi were safe and sound, had she appeared silently, Chi Wuyao and the others would have had no way of not noticing.

He had woken up so quickly...

Profound light energy...

What exactly happened? Besides himself, who else could it have been...?

Yun Che subconsciously reached up and covered his head. Both his body and soul were too weak; attempting to think only caused his Soul Sea to become even more chaotic with waves of sharp pain.

Chi Wuyao quickly placed her hand on the back of his. "Focus on recovering first. This isn't the time to overthink things. No matter what mystery is involved, this is at least a tremendous blessing, so there's no need to worry."

"Once you've fully recovered, you can calmly search for the answer."

Yun Che exhaled slowly, taking a while to regain his composure and steady his thoughts.

He closed his eyes for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Why did the Azure Dragon Emperor risk her life to save me? Was it... to protect Qi Tianli?"

"Of course not," Chi Wuyao said without hesitation. "The Azure Dragon Emperor's action was incredibly decisive, almost instinctive. It definitely wasn't motivated by a desire to protect Qi Tianli."

"As for the real reason..." Chi Wuyao looked at him deeply, a faint smile playing on her lips. "A woman's mind is sometimes unclear even to herself, let alone to others."

"Ultimately, it's probably because our esteemed Cloud Emperor is simply too charming. Or perhaps, for someone like the Azure Dragon Emperor, neglect is the most deadly poison."

It was hard to tell if Chi Wuyao was serious or joking. Yun Che's head felt heavier and heavier, so he closed his eyes and stopped thinking.

Chi Wuyao said no more, her voice softening. "Regardless, the Azure Dragon Emperor risked her life to save you. We both owe her a life."

"Qi Tianli has shown great kindness to the Azure Dragon Emperor on several occasions, and she has always regarded him as half-teacher, half-father. Since she pleaded for him, we won't kill Qi Tianli... After all, his worthless life is far from comparable to yours."

"Furthermore..." A chilling, faint smile touched Chi Wuyao's lips. "Even without the Azure Dragon Emperor's plea, I had no intention of killing Qi Tianli."

"If you're unsure how to deal with him for now, how about leaving it to me?"

Yun Che nodded directly. "Very well, I'll leave it to you."

Chi Wuyao far surpassed him in controlling the overall situation, handling affairs, exercising discretion, and weighing pros and cons.

Chi Wuyao stood up and said, "Your awakening should not be made public for now. The various realms are currently in a state of panic, and if they knew you had awakened, they would surely rush to seek an audience. For now, you just need to focus on recovering. As for the Abyss..."

A dark glint flickered in her eyes. "When Mo Beichen's soul dissipated, I seized some of his knowledge and memories. I will tell you more about it then."

Chi Wuyao then left.

Yun Che closed his eyes, adjusting his breathing, but his thoughts remained restless.

The profound light energy that saved the Azure Dragon Emperor from certain death...

How wonderful it would be if it really was Shen Xi.

But even if it was Shen Xi, could a single burst of profound light energy truly save the Azure Dragon Emperor in that state?

Or perhaps it wasn't profound light energy at all?

For example... the life aura of the Wood Spirit Orb?

Wood Spirit...

He Ling...

Yun Che's body suddenly tensed, and he abruptly opened his eyes.

Since waking up, a profound sense of absence had lingered in his consciousness. But as he was severely injured and just roused, his thoughts were heavy and blurred, preventing him from pinpointing what that absence was.

Now, he suddenly realized... every time he had woken from a coma before, the first thing he heard was always He Ling's excited, surprised cries.

Her life and soul were connected to his; she could clearly sense the very first moment he awakened.

But this time, he hadn't heard He Ling's voice at all.

He couldn't even feel the soul that was always connected to hers!?

The lingering remnants of sleep vanished instantly, and Yun Che shot upright. "He Ling?"

"He Ling!"

Two desperate shouts, but there was no reply.

At that moment, his muddled consciousness brought back the sounds from a dream he had during his coma:

"Master, please wake up. I want to talk to you for a little while... just a short while, okay?"

The familiar soft voice, hazy as if from the depths of his Soul Sea, made Yun Che freeze.

"...I'm going to find my parents and Lin'er. I'll tell them so many things about you."

A profound unease, like a nightmare, abruptly swelled in his mind. His fingers desperately gripped his head.

No, it can't be...

Closing his eyes, he desperately concentrated his spirit, sinking his consciousness into the Sky Poison Pearl.

Appearing in the verdant green space, his cry was caught in his throat as he suddenly froze, completely stunned.

The familiar Sky Poison Pearl space was familiar in a way that instantly pierced Yun Che's heart with agony.

It had reverted to its former appearance...

The way it was... without He Ling.

The same verdant green space, but now it was a desolate, lifeless green.

Even with his consciousness fully immersed, he still couldn't sense He Ling's presence.

Not even a trace.

"As long as I can thrust the Heaven Smiting Sword into Mo Beichen's body, I have absolute certainty of poisoning him to death."

Absolute... certainty...

Yun Che's consciousness trembled uncontrollably.

The searing pain, piercing to the depths of his soul, surpassed any physical injury by countless magnitudes.

Mo Beichen was so formidable, yet her tone had been so absolute... her words so resolute.

To enable the Sky Poison Pearl to unleash a poison potent enough to kill even a Demigod in mere breaths, surpassing the current world's limits, she had clearly... sacrificed herself, the Spirit of the Sky Poison!

He should have realized... he should have realized it sooner!

Outside the main hall of the Imperial Cloud City.

Qi Tianli's hands were bound tightly by a black rope. His head was bowed low as he knelt curled on the ground.

He had maintained this posture for four days and four nights.

Faint footsteps approached from a distance. Qi Tianli's body stirred slightly, but he dared not raise his head, instead bowing it even lower until it almost touched the cold ground.

This was the presence of the Devil Queen.

Chi Wuyao's footsteps halted in front of Qi Tianli. She looked down at him, his profound energy self-sealed and his hands bound, appearing utterly despondent. She spoke indifferently, "The Cloud Emperor has awakened. Your life is spared, and the Qilin lineage is also preserved."

Qi Tianli, who had barely moved for four days, suddenly began to tremble uncontrollably. He trembled for a long time before uttering a dry, trembling voice: "This sinner, Qi Tianli, thanks the Cloud Emperor and the Devil Queen for their great benevolence."

Each word was accompanied by a tear, filled with both agitation and sorrow.

"First, you've thanked the wrong person." Chi Wuyao's gaze deepened. "Second, you've thanked too soon."

"..." Qi Tianli bowed his head deeply, not daring to move or speak rashly.

Regardless of his ultimate fate, with the Devil Queen's words, "the Qilin lineage is also preserved," he would be content, even if he were to be utterly destroyed after enduring extreme torture.

"The one who saved your life and the lives of your entire clan was the Azure Dragon Emperor. You should be well aware of that."

Compared to Yun Che, Chi Wuyao harbored less hatred towards Qi Tianli; instead, at least fifty percent of her feelings were sympathy and pity... pity that he was the first to be targeted by Mo Beichen.

"Seeing Cang Shitian, whom you usually disdained, choose to sever ties with the Azure Sea forever rather than have his lineage bow to the Abyss, do you feel ashamed?"

"The Azure Dragon Emperor protected the Cloud Emperor's life with her own, a great meritorious deed. Her sole request was for your life to be spared. Do you feel ashamed?"

"..." Qi Tianli was speechless. His aged body trembled even more violently, as if trapped in the bone-chilling, soul-rending ice prison of the Nine Netherworlds.

Chi Wuyao knew precisely which words would sting Qi Tianli's heart the most. He feared neither death nor humiliation, nor even curses. For him, the most soul-piercing emotion was shame.

"The Azure Dragon Emperor saved the Cloud Emperor's life, so any request she makes is not excessive. Since the Cloud Emperor agreed, he will naturally not go back on his word. However..." Her devilish eyes narrowed slightly. "The Cloud Emperor was very right in saying that if betrayal is not met with sufficient punishment, then loyalty will surely become a joke."

Qi Tianli murmured, "This sinner, Qi Tianli, is willing to accept any punishment without complaint. If... if the Devil Queen fears dirtying her hands, this old man is willing to immediately... cripple his own profound energy."

"Cripple your own profound energy?" Chi Wuyao scoffed. "It has only been a few short years since the Cloud Emperor led the Northern Divine Region to sweep across the three divine regions, resulting in countless casualties among profound practitioners across various realms. Now, with the calamity of the Abyss, how many Divine Emperors are left across the four divine regions?"

"..." Qi Tianli flinched, then vaguely understood Chi Wuyao's meaning.

"Your life will be spared, and the power of your body will remain intact. But..."

Chi Wuyao slowly extended her hand, palm facing Qi Tianli's head. "From now on, these will no longer belong solely to you; they will all be within my grasp."

Qi Tianli finally raised his head, his cloudy Qilin eyes filled with deep gloom. "Is the Devil Queen... going to bestow... a slave mark?"

Qi Tianli, who had long since become indifferent to death, still felt his soul convulse at the words "slave mark."

Chi Wuyao's devilish voice slowly continued, "A slave mark is something that violates the natural order. If I were to use it on you, wouldn't I be criticized by the world? Besides, have you forgotten my strongest domain? If I wish to control someone's heart and soul, do I need a mere slave mark?"

Qi Tianli's slightly raised head inadvertently met Chi Wuyao's abyssal, dark devilish eyes. A sudden chill ran through his entire body, and he hastily lowered his head again.